


Part of a Whole

by TeamTHEFT



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Ariana's Not Entirely Dead, F/M, ghost - Freeform, twins!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 05:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4992457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamTHEFT/pseuds/TeamTHEFT
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Ariana was hit in the duel, she wasn't killed. She was forced into a spelled sleep, one that can only be broken when she can save someone's life. Over the years, Dumbledore watches many sets of twins die (usually just one of them, sometimes both) as Ariana tries to save them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Part of a Whole

Albus stared at his sister’s body mournfully. She was there, she was alive, but she…she wasn’t waking up. Aberforth was at her side, clutching her hand tightly, as if he could snap her out of her slumber, and Grindellward had slunk off as soon as he had the chance. 

The healer they’d requested had said there was nothing they could do. She was going to sleep, possibly forever. If they had had a clue as to what exactly had hit her, they would have had a chance at bringing her back, but the three of them had been shooting off curse after curse. Plus, when that was combined with her fitful magic, who knew what had caused the comatose state she was now in?

***

Two weeks later, Albus was walking around Diagon Alley. His brother had refused to leave Ariana’s side, leaving him to pick up any medicine or supplies they needed. He was just coming out of the Apothecary when a girl collided with him. She gripped his arm tightly, tugging him out of sight of the main alley before her eyes met his. 

“She’s not dead,” the girl said. 

“Who isn’t?” Albus asked. The girl shook her head.

“She who you think has no chance of recovery. She’s not dead,” the girl repeated. Albus felt as if someone had dropped a bucket of cold water over his head.

“How do you know about her?” Albus asked sharply. 

“She’s not dead,” the girl repeated. 

“Then when will she wake up?” Albus asked. If she wasn’t crazy, there was a good possibility this girl was a Seer. 

“Not for a long time,” the girl breathed, “She won’t wake up until someone can save her by being saved.”

“Someone has to save her by letting them save her? How can she save them if she’s asleep?” Albus asked her. The girl looked as if she were forcing the vision now, trying to get more out of it than she had been given. 

“Her soul’s awake. Awake but invisible. Like a ghost. She…she can’t be seen. Only by a select few. One a generation. One who is a part of a whole. Only they can save her. She won’t age. She’ll stay as she is until she’s awaken,” the girl said before her legs gave out. Albus gripped her tightly, barely keeping her from colliding with the ground. 

The girl shook herself for a moment before pulling away from Albus and making her way, as if she’d only just run into him. Albus watched her go. 

There was still a chance. 

***

When Albus first became headmaster at Hogwarts, he brought Ariana’s body with him. He kept her in one of the towers where the healer of the hospital wing and himself could keep her body alive. The healer had given him a sad look when he explained the situation, but Albus ignored it. He didn’t need to tell her about the prophecy. He’d told Aberforth, who had not truly believed his words. Aberforth still blamed him for the accident. 

Hell, Albus even blamed himself for it. 

In his second year there, a set of identical male twins came. One of them was always staring off into the distance, sometimes laughing to himself. It wasn’t until the twins’ fifth year that Albus caught the name Ariana coming from his lips.

The twin could see his sister. From what the twin said, Ariana appeared to be his age and slowly got older along with him. 

The twin died in a muggle accident the summer after his fifth year. 

***

The next set of identical male twins came five years later. The moment Albus laid eyes on them, he watched them carefully. Sure enough, one of the boys began to act as the first twin had. He didn’t confront him – instead, he watched as the twin got older. 

He made it to his first year out of Hogwarts before he was killed. 

Ariana still slept. 

***

When the Prewitt twins entered Hogwarts, Albus felt himself hopeful once more. Seven sets of twins had failed since Ariana’s comatose state had begun, and no set of identical male twins had survived past their 25th birthday. 

But the Prewitt twins were different. Both could see her. Albus had taken to following them around, sometimes even imagining he could hear his sister’s voice. They graduated and lived, and Albus felt his hopes rise. 

The night they died was the night Albus gave up hope of his sister ever waking up. It was also the first night his sister did anything in her coma. 

That night, for the first time in years, Ariana Dumbledore cried. 

But she still didn’t wake up. 

***

Twelve sets of twins. Albus almost couldn’t stand it. There had yet to be a single set of male identical twins to leave Hogwarts and survive in the adult world. The oldest had made it to thirty – the youngest twelve. Albus had noticed that the door to Ariana’s room had their names carved on it from top to bottom in Ariana’s handwriting. At the beginning of each year, he’d check for new names. The fall of ’89 revealed a new name.

Fred Weasley. 

Albus didn’t like that. He didn’t think it would be fair to Molly, having lost her brothers, to lose one of her sons as well. He couldn’t allow that to happen. Even if that meant keeping his sister from waking up. 

But fate had a mind of its own. 

The Weasley twins were pranksters, and Albus couldn’t imagine how many of their ideas had come from Ariana. He would find them in passages that no one had heard of in years – passages the other twins had also discovered in the past. 

***

It was in the kitchen at 12 Grimmault that Albus truly noticed it. They were sitting around the table eating when Fred snorted suddenly, subtly trying to hide his humor. Albus watched carefully as his eyes kept darting to spot in between himself and George. 

“Fred,” Albus said, drawing all attention to himself. Fred stared at him as well. 

“I guess it’s safe to assume she’s here, right now?” Albus asked. Fred’s face lost color. The others appeared confused, staring at Albus as if he were speaking in some other language. 

“How do you know about her?” Fred asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I’ve known about her from the very beginning. I think you should send her away,” Albus said.

“Who?” Molly asked faintly. 

“Why would I send her away?” Fred scoffed.

“Has she told you what happens to everyone who sees her?” Albus asked him. Fred was silent once more.

“Who?” Molly persisted. 

“Ariana,” Albus said. Molly’s face lost color as well. 

“So your brothers spoke of her,” Albus said. Molly turned to the twins.

“You boys can see her?” Molly asked.

“Just Fred. Sometimes I can hear her though. She’s really smart,” George said. 

“Who is Arianna?” Sirius asked. 

“She’s a ghost,” Fred said. 

“What happens to everyone who sees her?” Harry asked.

“They die.”

Fred frowned at him.

“There’s a reason she’s still here. She won’t tell me, but it has to do with why I can see her. And why there’s a list of names on her door,” Fred said.

“Her door. Have you ever entered that room?” Albus asked, eyes burning at Fred.

“No. ‘Ri won’t let me,” Fred mumbled.

“Because that’s where her body is. It’s where her body’s been resting for the last forty years or so,” Albus said simply.

“I don’t care,” Fred said.

“You must swear you will never speak to her again,” Albus said. The room seemed to drop a few degrees.

“No.”

The voice was loud and distinctively Ariana’s. Albus’s heart stuttered at the sound. The area where the sound came from flickered slightly for a moment before fading back. 

“See? She’s getting stronger,” Fred said with a smile.

***

Severus’s first day as Hogwarts headmaster was not going well. He’d spent the morning making sure he had changed Dumbledore’s passwords and rearranged things. He was certain he knew little to nothing about all the secrets Dumbledore had around the place, but he did have a sheet of parchment recommending he check a certain tower. 

When he came to the door, he was irritated to see names graffitied all over it. The latest was Fred Weasley – of course the delinquent would leave his name on the place. Severus was rather confused at the lack of George’s name, but all that thought faded when he opened the door.

Poppy was in there, administering a potion to an unconscious girl lying in a bed. The girl was impossibly pale and he couldn’t help but think she’d been there a long time. Poppy glanced up at him, worry in her eyes. 

“I know you’re in charge now, but I beg you, please, don’t get rid of her,” Poppy begged. 

“Who is she?” Severus asked, keeping his tone stiff. 

“Ariana Dumbledore. She’s been in a coma for forty years. She’s supposed to come out, one day,” Poppy said.

“Aren’t they all?” Severus asked.

“No. There was a prophecy. She will wake, one day. Please, can I keep her here?” Poppy begged. 

Severus had given her a curt nod and walked away.

***

The Battle of Hogwarts was raging. Percy had just switched sides, making Fred laugh at his attempt at a joke. Then there was a blast, and a body collided with Fred’s. Ariana. Solid Ariana. She slammed him to the ground as the wall exploded near where he had been standing. 

Ariana was breathing raggedly but she kept herself solid, body covering Fred’s.

“’Ri, you’re wearing yourself out. You’ve got to go translucent again,” Fred begged her. Ariana shook her head as the two of them stumbled to their feet. A cackling sound drew both of their attention to Bellatrix, her wand aimed at them. Ariana’s body solidified even more as a flash of green struck her body, knocking her back into Fred. 

“Don’t move,” Ariana whispered as they hit the ground. Bellatrix moved on, still laughing. Fred sat up quickly, gripping Ariana tightly. 

“’Ri, come on. You can’t die. You’re a ghost, yeah?” Fred begged, staring at her. Ariana smiled weakly at him.

“Yeah. I think I’m alive again,” Ariana said with a slight grimace, a flinch. 

“What?” Fred asked in horror.

“Not here. In my tower. I think I’m waking up. Come save me,” Ariana asked him as she faded in his arms. 

George was on the ground next to him in an instant.

“Fred! I thought…I thought you’d been killed!” George blubbered as he wrapped his arms around Fred’s neck.

“Ariana saved me. She’s waking up,” Fred said in disbelief. 

“What?” George asked.

“We’ve got to go save her,” Fred said, leaping to his feet. George nodded towards him.

“I’ll stay here. Go be a knight in shining armor,” George joked. 

Fred raced up the stairs, through the secret tunnels and to the door with his name on it. He gave the door a quick shove. 

He made his way to the bed, freezing when her bright blue eyes met his. 

“H-hey,” she whispered, her voice a croak. Fred smiled widely down at her.

“Hey. You’re younger than I remember,” Fred joked. 

“I’ve aged up from ten every time someone could save me,” Ariana admitted. Fred tried to help her sit up, but she was weak. Too weak to sit up on her own.

“Take me out of here, yeah?” she begged. Fred scooped her up, as if she were glass. He carried her down the stairs as the voice of Voldemort filled the castle. When he entered the great hall, his family was all but crying in a corner. When they saw him, his mother rushed at him. 

She stopped at the sight of the girl. George’s face lost all color.

“Is she…dead?” George asked faintly. Fred’s smile was wide as he shook his head.

“Nah. She’s weak, incredibly weak, but she’s alive,” Fred whispered in pure happiness. 

“The battle’s not over,” Molly reminded the boys. 

But for Fred, it was over. 

Ariana was alive again.


End file.
